In Sickness
by Riniel Haerion
Summary: Another prompt fill! AU of the first episode. Anders hasn't had much contact with the other members of his family after his 21st, and only reappeared for a short time when Ty turned 21. The next time he arrives is during Axl's God ceremony, but he's changed-for the worse. He's sick. And not getting better.


Dawn was typing at her computer when she heard the door open and close quietly. She glanced up to see the tired eyes of her boss, and her own eyes widened slightly. She took in his haggard appearance. His once bright well-keep blond hair was now messy and brittle, and now much thinner than it had been when she first started working for him. Anders' eyes had lost their mischievous sparkle and was now a dull blue. He was thinner now as well, much thinner. He usually stayed in his own flat because traveling too much made him tired. She stood up quickly and walked over to Anders who was wheezing rather heavily.

"Anders, you shouldn't be out and about on your own like this! Don't tell me you drove yourself..." She put a hand on his shoulder, that he quickly brushed off.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it Dawn. Just check the schedule for today..." He said, walking slowly to a chair and slumping down into it.

Dawn was confused for a moment, before going back to her own desk and checking the schedule for today. Sure enough there was a little note that Anders had put there a few months ago. Axl's 21st birthday, the little note said. She wondered why that was so important. In past years Anders made absolutely no mention of his brothers whatsoever, and not even a birthday was ever mentioned. Why was it that suddenly his youngest brother's 21st birthday was so important to Anders that he drove himself over to Dawn when he should be in his own home resting?

"Anders, why is your brother's birthday suddenly so important? You haven't marked down any of them before!" She asked, a bit of worry in her voice. "Is it because of your...You know?" She didn't want to say it.

Anders looked up at her. "Well, I'm being admitted to the hospital again soon. And well, my brothers are probably going to get together, because 21st birthdays are really important to us. Better do it now then having them figure out when I'm dead, right?" Anders gave Dawn a weak smile.

"Back into the hospital? So soon? It feels like you were just let out on remission though!" Dawn had to admit, Anders seemed to be growing worse and worse as days went by. She always made sure to visit him at least every other day to make sure he was well.

"Well, I don't exactly feel like I have much time left, you know? I mean, it sounds horrible to say that, but I know it's true. My remission time is getting shorter and shorter. I'll probably just be in the hospital from now on." Anders shrugged. "Can you give me a lift? I don't think I'm up for driving again."

Dawn sighed, knowing that no matter what Anders was going to convince her to take him anyways. She grabbed her purse and walked towards the door, and paused when she realized she wasn't being followed. She turned to see Anders struggling slightly to stand to his feet, and she quickly walked over to him to help him walk towards the door. He smiled gratefully at her. "I'm probably going to end up bedridden aren't I?" He let out a weak laugh.

They were soon in the car, and Dawn was driving with the directions Anders was giving her, until they arrived at the forest that was nearby. She was confused, but before she could ask anything, Anders was already struggling out of his seat. "Anders! You don't mean to climb down there do you?! Oh no, you're not going down there, you'll hurt yourself! Why do you want to go into that forest anyways?" Dawn quickly took off her own seat belt and tried to stop Anders.

"Dawn, don't worry about it. It's just a family tradition." There was that mellow sound that always managed to calm Dawn down whenever Anders spoke. "I'll be fine, don't worry. If I need help I'll call you."

Dawn frowned, but she trusted him. "O-okay. But if you need help call me right away." She watched as Anders hobbled down towards the forest, and she bit her lip. "You're an idiot, Anders Johnson."

Anders could hear familiar voices as he hobbled closer and closer to his destination. He was tired, and he was weak. He just wanted lie down on the ground and curl up there. He wasn't really sure he could make it any further. His breath was coming in heavy gasps, and his brothers must have heard him, because the voices suddenly stopped. Anders made it into a small clearing, before finally falling to his knees. Silence loomed over him, and he looked up to see the shocked looks of his brothers and Olaf on him.

"Hey guys, I know I'm attractive, but I don't need my own family staring at me. That would be weird." He was still breathing rather heavily.

"Anders, what are you doing here?" Ty finally said, walking up to him and helping him up.

Anders let out a small hiss of pain. "I couldn't miss my baby brother's god ceremony could I?"

"You're in on this joke too?" Axl asked, exasperated. "And what's wrong? You look half dead!" He said in a more worried tone. "Anders?"

"Oh you know, a bit of a terminal illness can do that to you. Really, I should probably be going back to the hospital. But I don't want to ruin your big day with dying." Anders smiled at Axl.

When did Axl grow so tall? Axl was still shorter than him the last time Anders saw him. It seems like all his brothers made it their quest to become taller than him, and now they were even more so now that he felt as though he'd shrunk from all this sickness that he had. But he was proud of them, in a way. They managed to not completely fuck up their lives, and hey, they don't have a terminal illness.

"Anders. When did this happen to you?" Mike asked.

"I didn't realize this was a Q and A with Anders. We should be doing Axl's ceremony. You can ask questions to me later if I'm up for it. Maybe now I'll finally get visitors in my little ol' hospital room. You know, besides Dawn, bless her heart."

And so the ceremony began, and Anders was nearly knocked down again to his knees by the lightning when it his Axl's sword. It was definitely brighter than Ty's. That must mean something. And then suddenly they had Odin in their hands, or at least probably had Odin. They still didn't have all the signs quite yet, but Anders was sure his youngest brother was going to be Odin.

But before Anders could make an escape and go back to Dawn, Mike caught him by the shoulder and turned him around. That simple motion made Anders feel dizzy. "Yeah, that was probably a bad idea." Anders said as he stumbled.

"When were you planning to tell us that you were sick?" Mike didn't sound angry at all. More disappointed, and maybe even a hint of worry.

"Today was the day I planned to tell you. And it sucks to you know. Axl's Odin and I probably won't even get to use my full powers at all."

"What do you mean Anders?" Axl asked in a quiet voice.

"I mean that I probably don't have much time left. In other words I'm dying soon. I'm probably dying right now, really. I didn't tell you guys sooner because I'm sure you have your own shit to be dealing with. You don't need your sorry excuse for a brother weighing you down and making you take constant visits to the hospital."

"Anders, we're family. And even if you are a shithead, we should know these things." Ty said, and without helping it he rolled his eyes.

That made Anders smile. "I guess so. Well, now you know. And now you have your mighty Odin. So when you guys have your full powers, think of me. Maybe make an ice sculpture in my honor. Whatever you feel the need to do. And make sure none of the girls I've slept with do anything to my gravestone. I have a feeling they would." They were making their way up to where there cars were parked now.

Dawn was standing outside of her car with an extremely worried expression, which turned to relief when she saw the Johnson brothers suddenly appear at the edge of the forest. She jogged over to them and did a quick look over of Anders. "You look like a wreck! What were you all doing?" Her eyes widened suddenly. "Oh no you didn't fight did you?" She looked at Ty.

"No, he just wore himself out. He told us about his..."

Dawn nodded in understanding. "Anders, we need to get you home. If you're not any better tomorrow I'm taking you to the hospital right away. Oh...I'm going to need to stop at the store for a few things, do you have enough pain killers? I-" Ty rested a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop.

"Don't worry about it right now Dawn. You have work to do right? We'll take care of Anders. We still need to catch up with him after all." He looked at his brothers, and Olaf. They nodded in agreement.

"Okay..." She hugged Anders. "Don't be difficult, and don't hesitate to call." She quickly gave the brothers a few instructions before driving off herself.

Anders watched her go with a sad expression. "I don't know what I'd do without her. Probably die sooner." He looked around smiling to his family. "You can take me home now. But I don't know how much farther I can walk to be honest."

And with that, Mike suddenly picked up the shorter Johnson, and carried him to Ty's van. Even if they didn't have as much time as they wanted, they'd make it last.


End file.
